Two days, 240 miles, and a bicycle

[rebeccmeister]

We made it: on Saturday, twelve of us got on our bicycles at the Bike Saviours Co-op in Tempe, Arizona, and rode all the way down to Bicas, the bike co-op in Tucson. Then today, six of us got back on our bicycles and rode back up to Tempe again.

To say the trip was incredible won't do it justice, but it will at least be a reasonable beginning for the telling of the story.

But the rest of the story must wait until tomorrow, after I've had a chance to rest for a while, and to dream some more about bicycles.

Comments

[boolean263.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! That's one heck of a ride. I'm glad to hear you survived both legs of the trip! I look forward to reading the tale.

By the way, I got your card! Thank you so much, that's nifty. Did you make it yourself? I haven't forgotten my dear bike, but the poor thing is ill-suited to Ottawa winters. (:

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad that both legs survived the trip! (;

I'm glad you liked the card! I was a bit of a slacker about getting them in the mail on time, so I figured I'd make up for that by making extra-cool cards--so yes, I did make it myself.

Yeah, we're really lucky here to be able to bike year-round (technically...if you don't mind the agony of riding through the summer heat).

[boolean263.livejournal.com]

I liked it a lot. (: It looks like the sort of card people pay lots of money for in upscale craft and souvenir stores. I'm honoured to be the recipient of it!

You are indeed lucky to have such relatively nice cycling conditions year-round there. I theoretically could bike any day of the year, it's mainly a lack of conviction on my part that's preventing me from doing so. There are a few guys I know (very few, but nonzero) who have a dedicated winter bike. Fixed gear, so there's less moving parts to get gummed up, and so it's cheaper to maintain and replace when they rust out from salty slush; wax instead of oil on the chain; big knobbly tires; possibly a wheel hub generator to illuminate the bike during the 16 hours of a typical Ottawa day which don't have natural daylight; etc. To say nothing of the need to dress appropriately, but I can't say a whole lot about that, since I have a good start on that from prepping for winter running. (:

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

Whoops--I accidentally replied in another thread: see the original post...

[rebeccmeister.livejournal.com]

I keep on reading about winter riding on bikepirates, and it has made me realize that I've never really had to prepare for REAL winter riding. And boy am I glad. It's definitely do-able, but takes quite a different mentality! So props to those who do ride in winter, but doing anything to stay active when it's that cold and dark is an accomplishment in my book.